


The Jester And The Minstrel

by Akirayuyuya, softyeonnie



Series: The Queen and The Ice Prince [6]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-13 06:30:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11754027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akirayuyuya/pseuds/Akirayuyuya, https://archiveofourown.org/users/softyeonnie/pseuds/softyeonnie
Summary: Because all he wanted was for him to give life to his stories and for him to sing his songs. It was all he wanted, at least he thought it was.





	1. Prologue: A Mere Spectator

**Author's Note:**

> Akira: A rabin spin-off from The Queen and the Ice Prince fic series
> 
> For additional information:  
> Jester - storyteller  
> Minstrel - performer/singer  
> These terms are from Medieval Times ^^

 Wonshik watched attentively, listening closely until his group hits the very last note of the song. They did well, just like in their practice but he has to admit that he isn't completely satisfied. During practice, he had to change a lot to fit the group's ranges. Some pitch altered to be a bit higher, low notes raised a bit, certain parts changed completely. It was hard. It was like asking a kid to try clothes two sizes smaller or bigger.

 

He sighed. It couldn't be helped. No one in his Vocal group is like Taekwoon afterall. Taekwoon can make his scripts come to life with his own power, willing himself to mold into character. He can make it his own, even if the character in Wonshik's mind as he wrote it was a different person. And for that fact alone, Taekwoon has earned his absolute respect.

 

Although the actor's lack of interest in taking double majors with Dance is still beyond him. In his opinion, Taekwoon can easily handle the two courses, alongside his destined partner Hayeon from the Dance Department.

 

The group on stage gave a last bow to the crowd. He gave his group an applause nonetheless, they earned that much. He can't force people to mold into something that was meant to be sang and acted by someone else. They gave their best and showed an amazing performance. It should be enough.

 

The lights dimmed, enveloping the auditorium in semi-darkness. The lights came back soom after, a different group on stage this time.

 

He recognized the group. It's Chanyeol's group. A set of five males and five females, each in their own variation of black, slightly ripped clothes, with dark make up and messily styled hair.

 

Wonshik had heard them practice on more than one occasion and the clothes and make up perfectly fit the song. Somewhere in the crowd, there was a loud set of claps, and Wonshik knows that it was from Chanyeol himself. His claps always has a certain pitch and frequency that Wonshik can pick him out easily enough. It was soon followed by the rest of the crowd, then died down when the first note played.

 

It was easy picking out who is singing which part, Baekhyun's rich voice obviously being the main body of the song. And then the song came to silence, the calm before the climax. Chanyeol has a penchant for using this kind of arrangement and Wonshik was amazed at how the guy can create such different moods with it.

 

The light then focused on the male positioned near the end of the group. His clothes were ripped a little around his chest and his hair covered one of his eyes. That's probably the only complaint he has, they should've shown his entire face.

 

The male opened his mouth and started singing his part. A deep baritone echoing sweetly, thanks to the school's high quality equipment. His small gesture of holding his earpiece as he closed his eyes when he hits the end of his part didn't go unnoticed with Wonshik's watchful eyes. It had always gotten to him. How this person sings with such passion in his voice and expression.

 

This very reason is why Wonshik had specifically approached him during the last evaluation.

 

He had heard him sing his heart out with a ballad during the first evaluation and after that Wonshik had envisioned almost all of his characters for his stories based on him. 

 

Seeing him during the second evaluation being all smiles with an upbeat song, Wonshik had to type like a madman on his phone just to keep track of the outburst of ideas.

 

Wonshik had waited for him to finish changing and asked for a few minutes of his time. He poured his heart out, about how he loved his voice after hearing him from the first evaluations, how most of his scripts and composition are based on him and how he would absolutely be delighted if he will double major with him in Drama and Vocal. He didn't get an immediate answer, just a reply which is an octave higher than his normal voice saying, "I-- I'll think about it. Can you give me some time?" And Wonshik agreed.

 

A couple of weeks later, when the second semester started, Wonshik had seen him in the Drama Department and had written an entire script the very same night.

 

They didn't get the chance to talk again after that, never being assigned in the same group or having different timeslots for classes. 

 

The performance finished with a carefully placed high note by Little Canary, great arrangement from Chanyeol.

 

He stood from his seat when the group retreated to the backstage. He needs to tell him how this dark and heavy themed song fits his beautiful deep voice perfectly and also to tell him how he did such a great job acting out as the secondary lead in yesterday's film.

 

The student standing guard backstage let him through without a word, familiar with Wonshik as one of the composers. He had easily spotted the group in black, with a flame haired Chanyeol in the middle of them.

 

"Hongbin!" he called out, praises and words of appreciation already on the tip of his tongue.

 

Hongbin turned and directed a heavy kohl lined eye at Wonshik, one of his eyes still covered by his black hair. He squinted for a moment before marching straight at him.

 

The next thing Wonshik knows, he was on the floor with a stinging cheek and a painful jaw, belatedly realizing he got punched on the face. Then Hongbin's deep baritone voice once again rising an octave higher but with a completely different feel from months ago. "That's what you deserve, asshole!"


	2. The Fool

Hongbin looked at the guy on the floor. He was wide eyed. Like he couldn't believe he just got punched on the face. And Hongbin seethed. How dare this guy have the nerve to be surprised by that.

 

"That's what you deserve, asshole!" he spat, then marched away from the scene. His good mood after a good stage was completely ruined now. 

 

He made to grab his things from the dressing room but when he turned to exit the room again, Mr. Asshole was there standing and blocking the only exit.

 

"What do you want?!" he exclaimed. He doesn't usually go punching and yelling at people, but this guy is an exemption.

 

"Your stage was wonderful! I really really love your voice and its richness would be perfect as the main body if only you will choose the right song for your voice." he uttered in a rush, like an excited kid gushing over his favorite toy.

 

It was Hongbin's turn to be surprised. He thought he would get yelled at or even get punched in return. But there was nothing like that. This guy talks like Hongbin just didn't punch him not even five minutes ago.

 

"Oh! And you did so well with yesterday's film. You got second lead but that's okay since it was your first film. But I'm sure next time you can get the main lead." he continued.

 

Hongbin's heart soared at the compliment. But he quickly trampled on that feeling. This stupid guy with his stupid compliments was the root of all this. And what did he get for believing in this guy? Nothing. He just made a fool out of himself.

 

He can still recall how this guy asked, almost shyly, for a bit of his time after the second evaluations. He saw no harm in it and agreed. He should've just refused.

 

~*~

 

"I love your voice! The ballad you sang during the first evals was a total opposite from what you sang earlier and both were just beautiful!" he gushed and Hongbin stood frozen. He wasn't expecting the rush of words of compliments from someone he had never even talked to before.

 

"Actually, I double major for Drama and Vocal and ever since I heard you, most of my scripts and compositions were written with you in mind." he continued and Hongbin could feel himself blushing. The guy was talking with such an earnest face that there was no room to doubt if he was being honest or just trying to flatter him to get into his pants. It wouldn't be the first time it happened.

 

"So, will you please double major with me? It would be my absolute delight if I can get the chance for you to sing my songs and act my scripts. Please spend the rest of college with me." 

 

Hongbin's already big round eyes widened even more. The guy talked without a hint of shyness, totally different from how he approached earlier.

 

Admittedly though, this has been the oddest but ultimately the sweetest confession he had received. 

 

Usually, he tells people that they should start as friends first, just to get to know each other. He isn't very welcome to the idea of dating people he hardly knows. But this guy with his sleepy looking eyes and ridiculous white dyed hair and that expectant look in his eyes, like he isn't even thinking about the chance that Hongbin would reject him, made him pause and consider.

 

"I-- I'll think about it. Can you give me some time?" he asked, unusually shy, making his deep voice rise an octave higher so he quietly cleared his throat afterwards.

 

The guy didn't deflate at the answer he got. He just smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Hongbin belatedly realized that he didn't even got the guy's name.

 

Hongbin found himself seated in the auditorium the following day, to watch the Drama Department's films for the student evaluations. The guy's invitation about being a double major for Drama had bugged him the night before. Even if he does end up dating him and his soft smile, Hongbin still wouldn't blindly throw himself to years of hell. That's why here he was, sitting and waiting for the first film to roll.

 

Even if all of the short films were great on its own, two specific ones stood out for him. The third film had such an excellent lead actor that left Hongbin in awe with the smooth transition of emotions on his handsome face. Meanwhile the second to the last film didn't have any outstanding actors but the story had kept him at the edge of his seat the entire time. When the credits for it rolled in,  he actually felt disappointed that it wasn't as long as he would've liked.

 

A week later and Hongbin's papers were finished and his fate was sealed when he finally signed up for three and a half years of college hell.

 

The following semester had been the most stressful in Hongbin's 18 years on Earth. He had to attend regular classes in Vocal then he had to make up for the first semester he missed for Drama, adding to how he needed to go the extra mile to catch up with the regular first year curriculum.

 

It had been an extreme experience but the more he attended classes, the more he started to realize an unrecognized love for acting and he found it harder to even think of backing out from it.

 

If there was one thing that made his semester unbearable, it was the complete and utter disappearance of the guy who managed to convince him to torture himself with a whole lot of extra classes. He had been busy, it was to be expected. But he at least expected sleepy guy to seek him out again. Maybe ask him for Hongbin's answer or maybe to appear in front of him all happy that Hongbin had been showing up in the Drama Department.

 

A month and a mountain of assignments later and there was still no trace of the white haired guy. Hongbin had slammed his script right on top of his music sheet when the thought occured to him. "Did he just... made a fool out of me?"

 

He didn't want to believe it but once he got the idea, he couldn't think of a more plausible reason. Come to think of it, he was part of the Drama Department so a believable acting front should be easy to pull off. And stupid gullible him fell for it big time. A few compliments and he allowed himself to think that he was someone special for someone.  _Wow._ He must've been a good laugh for Mr. Asshole and his friends.

 

Hongbin pushed through with it nonetheless. He had already been influenced once to take double majors. He won't let anyone else dictate whether he should stay or not. He would finish with a double degree and prove to himself that this isn't another mistake.

 

Preparing for the next quarterly evaluation certainly worn him down to the bone. It was filming and rehearsals fitted into his still busy class schedule. But at least he had completely forgotten a certain white haired male with sleepy looking eyes and a soft smile.

 

~*~

 

"Just leave me alone!" he yelled again. He tried to force his way out of the room. But Asshole didn't budge from his spot. Instead he rummaged in his pocket to bring out his phone, fiddled with it a little before handing it to him. 

 

"Here's the lyrics and music. Please look at this and tell me what you think. I wrote this based on your stages for first and second evaluations." he said, smiling at Hongbin even with his reddened cheek.

 

Dumbfounded, Hongbin took the offered device and just stared as the ball of white hair disappeared through the door. A couple of blinks and a shake of his head later, Hongbin looked at the harmless phone in his hand. He turned on the screen, and stared at a word document opened with the words "Love Equation" at the very top.


	3. A Fool?

Hongbin sat, almost motionless while waiting for his first class of the day. He had checked the bulletin board beforehand and found it still empty. The results for last week's evaluation should be posted today. Maybe he had just came too early.

 

He was currently having yet again another staring contest with the harmless device in his hand. White-haired guy was either too good at this game, or was simply a huge fucking idiot. He had left his phone with Hongbin, just like that. And during the entire weekend, he hasn't received a single call, or even a text for the device to be returned, not even a message notification from one of the guy's friends. Hongbin briefly wonders if he has any friends at all.

 

Also, not more than once did he got the idea to snoop around. The device is just... there. The lack of password was a huge temptation and he hasn't stopped thinking about the stupid phone all weekend.

  
"But he left it with me, it's fine if I look, right?" he thought, his hand already halfway towards reaching for the phone, before his other hand manually stopped himself, as if his hands take orders from different sides of himself.

  
"No. Of course not. Get a grip of yourself, Lee Hongbin!" he scolded himself. It was the same stupid argument within himself and he was aware he was making a fool of himself... again.

 

He sighed, settling his head on the desk and staring at the root of his current internal turmoil. He did check the song white-haired guy showed him. It was such a sweet sounding piece and the lyrics were a beautiful contrast with the almost happy tune of the song. The voice for the demo was also surprisingly good, although edited a bit to match the required pitch, he recognized it as sleepy-eyes' voice. He was a good singer.

 

The anger he felt towards the guy dissipated a bit when he realized that it wasn't a lie that a song was composed with him in mind.  _Love Equation_ gave him the combined feeling of his first and second evaluation stage and when he tried to sing the song with the proper keys, found them almost a perfect match with his range, except for a few high notes.

 

Other than the song though, he hasn't touched a single file in the phone. It was tempting but he managed to win over the temptation.

 

He pressed a button and the screen immediately lit up. Another thing that made him softer for stupid composer guy.  _Why does he have a french bulldog as his lockscreen?_ Hongbin wanted to find out if the photo was taken randomly from the internet or white-haired guy's pet. If it's the latter, he wonders if he can ask if he can meet _Buttbutt._ It was a random name he used on the dog, because of how the photo shows Buttbutt from behind while looking at the camera with it's tongue slightly out. Such a cute little thing, Hongbin mused.

 

A ball of red slowly creeping in his field of vision coming from below almost made him fall out of his seat with shock. "Damnit, Chanyeol!" he cursed, even as Chanyeol just looked at him innocently with his big round eyes.

 

"I didn't know you were close enough with Wonshik to have his phone." Chanyeol said, as if Hongbin wasn't hanging with half of his ass on the chair and his hand on his chest trying to control his rapidly beating heart. "So was the whole scene last week because he pranked you or ditched you or whatever stupid friends do?" he asked, his chin perched on Hongbin's desk and staring at the still lighted screen of the phone.

 

Hongbin processed the question and almost blurted out the complete truth, but thought better of it. Chanyeol doesn't need to know how white-haired guy literally pranked or ditched him but not in the way of  _whatever stupid friends do_  kind of thing. So he just gave a boring "Yeah, something like that."

 

Chanyeol pouted and stared at the phone again, then standing to his full height. Chanyeol was tall, even taller than Hongbin who is already a head taller than half the school population. Hongbin randomly noted Chanyeol's fiery red hair, with dark roots still barely noticeable. _Is it required for Composition Class students to have outrageous hair colors?_ he wondered as he remembers a certain ball of white hair.

 

"Have you seen the ranks?" Chanyeol asked, grabbing the nearest chair to Hongbin's desk.

 

"Is it posted already?" he asked, stuffing the phone in his pocket. That was enough phone-staring for this morning.

 

"Yeah. Walked by just in time to see Mr. Kwon putting up the list." he answered.

 

"I'll go check." Then Hongbin was out the classroom and walking towards the lobby of the Vocal Department. It was still early so the small crowd of people in front of the board was expected.

 

He searched for his name, tracing the list from down up. He knew he wouldn't find his name anywhere at the top anyway. He isn't a natural genius like Chanyeol who aces his tests and compositions, or like Baekhyun who was a complete natural on stage.

 

A smile stretched across his lips as he finds his name within the 20's rank out of the top 50 students posted for the third vocal evaluations. Satisfied with his rank, he continued to trace the list, noting Baekhyun who was at top 12 and Jaehwan, even after almost flunking one of his tests, got in the top 10. Chanyeol was in third rank again, then Zhang Yixing at second, another natural genius. The top of the list, the number one was taken by the same name Hongbin has been seeing since the first evaluation rankings. A guy by the name Kim Wonshik, someone Hongbin hasn't met at all. Oddly though, the name rings a bell.

 

"Wonshik got first place again." came Chanyeol's deep voice from behind Hongbin. He has to tip his head a little to look at Chanyeol. "And he double majors in Drama like you. I bet he's also the Drama Department's top again." he added, his lips in a playful pout.

 

And then it clicked. Double major. Drama Department. Wonshik. White-haired guy. The  _Kim Wonshik._ He finally has a name to associate with the face he punched just a few days ago, but he didn't expect that he was dealing with the overall top student of the school. But for such a genius like Kim Wonshik, he was also the most stupid guy Hongbin has met. The phone in his pocket, a solid evidence for his words. 

  
"Hongbin!" a voice called. Hongbin turned his head to find white-hai-- no, Wonshik, smiling stupidly at him. He looked at the list again, the name Kim Wonshik glaring in black bold letters right next to the number one also in black bold letters. Then back to the stupid looking grin of the guy walking his way. Another look at the rankings. Hongbin thinks he's going to have a headache.


End file.
